No money to pay civil servants

Civil servants have still not been paid and there are no signs that they will be paid soon because there is reportedly no money in the government coffers.

Sources from cabinet office have told the Zambian watchdog that last week there was a stakeholders’ meeting composed of officers from the ministry of finance and cabinet office Public service management division where they were brainstorming on which category of civil servants should be paid amongst nurses, policemen and teachers.

The source further said that a suggestion was reached that teachers should be paid first in view of the schools that have just opened in order to avert a possible strike but later on again the decision was reversed for fear that it would create disharmony among the civil servants. Initially the civil servants are supposed to get paid on 15th and the fact that they have not been paid means they have gone for 34 days without salaries.

“Actually, a stakeholders’ meeting took place just after the cabinet meeting to decide which group should be paid first ahead of others and teachers came in but later the decision was reversed for fear that it would cause acrimony, so they will all be paid at the same time though there is no money at the moment, they are initiaally supposed to be paid by 15th but now it is 19th, exactly 34 days from day they got thei last salaries,” said the source.